Thanks to all of you beautiful readers from all over the world, due to your very positive comments on my previous blog entries on Olympus E-5 reviews, as well as all the kind emails I have received, Olympus Malaysia has allowed me another chance to do what I love doing with a camera: make photographs happen. I have had another go with this Olympus E-5, and this time, I have brought the E-5 out of Kuala Lumpur into Malacca for shooting. I have taken tones of photographs over the weekend, and much to my surprise I have come back with so many good photographs, I am having a difficult time selecting the best of the batch to display here on my blog. As previously done, I shall be concentrating my reviews based on user-experience, and the blog entries will be very photograph-image oriented. I believe photographs in real world situation speak a lot louder than words.

Me and Olympus E-5 at Taman Seribu Bunga, Malacca

50mm F2 Macro, 1/250sec, F/13, ISO640, Flash Fired

50mm F2 Macro, 1/250sec, F11, ISO640, Flash Fired

What did I miss out in my previous Review write-ups?

In this entry, I shall address an item which I have unintentionally left out in my previous reviews. That item is the “dynamic range” performance of the Olympus E-5. Do expect a lot of photographs below making strong reference to dynamic range handling. Do bear in mind all photographs were shot in JPEG, with almost no tweaking or post-processing, except for minor cropping and slight exposure adjustment for overall consistency presentation.

To Malacca, out of KL

On Friday night, right after work I rushed to the interstate busport at Bukit Jalil, and took a 2 hours bus ride away from KL down to Malacca. Thanks to my friend Frederick Yap (he has a very nice blog dedicated to photographs taken with Olympus too) I had a place to stay over the weekend, and a friend to bring me around and accompanied me while I was shooting. Why Malacca you may ask? The origin of Malaysia as far as history has recorded, started in Malacca. Malacca was famous for once a powerful and ruling empire which was long, long time ago. This very same ground has also been occupied by the Portuguese in 1511, and much later the British (gosh my history is getting rusty).

Naturally, the places in Malacca are full of strong historical influence, with a mix of both local and foreign origins. The buildings, people and culture are so diverse, making it such a compelling place for many photography genres.

Me, attacking a dragonfly with E-5.

50mm F2 Macro: 1/640sec, F/4, ISO400, Flash Fired (Super FP)

50mm F2 Macro: 1/40sec, F/13, ISO640

50mm F2 Macro: 1/640sec, F/5.6, ISO400

Taman Seribu Bunga

I started the morning in Taman Seribu Bunga (loosely translated to” garden of thousand flowers”) for some light macro shooting. My aim in that garden was to produce some creative shots, which shall be blogged In coming reviews. However, I have also shot a few creatures lurking around the garden. As usual, the 50mm macro performed flawlessly, recording fine details. Macro was the perfect start for the day, as it oriented our minds technically (especially on camera controls) before heavier shootings later in the morning.

To the Heart of Malacca

After the light macro shoot, we went to the city area of Malacca. The sky started rather cloudy and hazy in the morning. I was rather disappointed in the beginning, but that did not dampen my spirit to go out and make photographs happen. I was determined to at least come back with some usable shots in this entry. Why the city area? In one large area, there were so many interesting subjects to photograph, mainly historical buildings and old streets with shops dating more than half a century old.

As I started shooting in the city, the sky slowly cleared out, and unexpected there was blue sky for the rest of the afternoon !! The sky was not exactly deep, clear blue, but it was good enough. The sun was harsh approaching the afternoon, creating heavy shadows and high contrast. Perfect opportunity to test out the dynamic range performance of the camera, no?

7-14mm F4, 1/200sec, F/8, ISO200

Take note on how the dude on the left was still brightly esposed, despite the fact that he was sitting in the shaded area, while the bicycle was placed out in the open under direct sunlight.

50mm F2 Macro, 1/800sec, F/2, ISO200

The lady's face under the shadow of the hat was well exposed, balanced well against the top of her hat facing upwards.

50mm F2 Macro: 1/4000sec, F/2, ISO200

Offering Prayers.

7-14mm F4: 1/40sec, F/4, ISO1000

A traditional tricycle. A popular mode of transport in Malacca long time ago.

DRAMATIC TONE Art-Filter applied. 7-14mm F4: 1/320sec, F/8, ISO200

Olympus E-5 Dynamic Range

I shall now delve too deep into “how many stops have the dynamic range EV improved”, or how does it compare with previous Olympus DSLR cameras or cameras from other manufacturers. I have photographed the images in rather extreme conditions, with stark difference in shadow and highlight regions in one frame. I believe in usability in practical situations.

I may not be able to tell you the answers in numbers, but let my photographs show you what Olympus E-5 can do. I realize how important wide dynamic range is in today’s photography demand, and I also realize how bad dynamic range is on Olympus Four-Thirds sensors. Nonetheless, what I have found out from the E-5 was truly something I did not quite anticipate.

Shooting with Live View on 3inch Dual-Axis Swivel Screen, with 7-14mm F4 ultra wide angle lens. Live view and the swivel screen helps a great deal when dealing with extreme low angle shots.

Dramatic Tone Art Filter was applied and can be previewed in real time before pressing the shutter button. In addition, now all art-filters can be used alongside all other shooting parameters, such as Aperture priority, and all other controls and settings to further fine tune your shot. Processing speed on art-filters have been improved, and there was almost no lag after shooting with art-filter.

An Abandoned House in Malacca. As seen in previous two photographs on Live View shooting.

DRAMATIC TONE Art-Filter applied. 7-14mm F4: 1/100sec, F/8, ISO 400

DRAMATIC TONE Art-Filter applied. 7-14mm F4: 1/40sec, F/8, ISO400

DRAMATIC TONE Art-Filter applied. 7-14mm F4: 1/60sec, F/8, ISO400

Yes, THERE IS IMPROVEMENT. There are minimal, if almost no highlight and shadow clippings in most of my shots (minus the ones shot with the art-filter), even shot under direct backlit situations, or against the harsh, cruel afternoon Malaysian sun.

This certainly has never happened before in ANY previous Olympus DSLR cameras. Sounds too good to be true? Then you just have to wait for professional reviews to justify this fact. It may not be as good as other rival cameras in the class, but to me, in real life application, the dynamic range on E-5 is more than sufficient. I know what bad lighting situations are, so I will avoid shooting in such situations, or use counter-measures to balance out the lighting. Knowing that Olympus E-5 can handle such extreme situations well, I do think it is an extra “insurance” in case I bump into some inevitable and unplanned situations, which can happen at times.

Two friendly workers offloading goods from a truck. Pay attention to the guy on the right. He has very dark skin tone. His face was heavily cast in shadow by the hat he was wearing, under bright, harsh afternoon sun. Yet, the exposure came out rather well balanced.

7-14mm F4: 1/500sec, F/4, ISO200

Outside a Grocery Shop.

50mm F2 Macro: 1/1600sec, F/2, ISO200

An old shop, with a friendly shopkeeper. How friendly? He asked me in for a drink. KL people lack such warmth I must day.

DRAMATIC TONE Art-Filter applied. 7-14mm: 1/60sec F/4, ISO200

DRAMATIC TONE Art-Filter applied. 7-14mm F4: 1/200sec, F/4, ISO200

The details are very well-maintained in the shadow region. Please check out the photograph below.

Christ Church, Malacca. Take a good look at shadowy region behind the grilled bars at the low left corner of the frame.

7-14mm F4, 1/400sec, F/9, ISO200

The shadows did not wash out into black, and you can still see good amount of details there.

Also take not how consistent the colour reproduction is, even under very harsh lighting. The colours did wash out a little, but on the whole, is still very presentable and natural looking. Details are well maintained. The flare and ghostings were mainly due to the lens’ being dusty, and smeared with finger prints. Yes, yes, my fault for not constantly keeping the front element of the lens clean. That apart, I do think that the overall outcome in handling strong lighting against shadowy areas quite impressive.

Looking up, shot from floor level, inside St Paul's Church. The flare was due to smudge and dusts on the lens. Nonetheless, see how well the strong mid-day sun was balanced with the inner walls.

8mm F3.5 Fisheye: 1/640sec, F/10, ISO200

Another good example of balance between brightly lit zones and the dark, shadowy areas of the photograph, with strong sunlight.

8mm F3.5 Fisheye: 1/320sec, F/10, ISO200

I love BARREL DISTORTION too. Hence I really love the 8mm. If only cash grows on trees.

8mm F3.5 Fisheye: 1/125sec, F/10, ISO200

Do not worry, this is just my first episode of my second round of Olympus E-5 reviews. Yes, there will be low light shooting. On top of that, there are some shooting done in very harsh situations, when the camera was drenched in river water. There will also be some creative usage of the camera, which I shall blog next.

I know there are a lot of expectations, and a lot of requests coming in. However, I have done what I can, within my usual photography preference and choices. Please do not expect me to test everything on the Olympus E-5. I appreciate your understanding.

Music provider.

8mm F3.5 Fisheye: 1/160sec, F/3.5, ISO200

8mm F3.5 Fisheye: 1/1000sec, F/3.5, ISO200

A-Famosa Fort. This was an extreme backlit situation case. See how the people under the heavy shadow can still be clearly seen.

8mm F3.5 Fisheye: 1/1000sec, F/7.1, ISO200

Special thanks to Frederick Yap for accompanying me everywhere I went to, and helping me take some photographs of myself in action with Olympus E-5. Also, my sincere gratitude toFish Ee who also came to join us for shooting. It was very kind of Fish to lend me his Olympus ZD 8mm F3.5 Fisheye lens, which was an incredible piece of glass.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to leave a comment, or email me directly. Due to heavy work obligations (yes I do have a full time job, photography is just my passion), I might reply to your comments and emails a little slower this time.

INCREDIBLE!!! Really, Robin, you know how to shoot, whatever the lens you are using! I have waited all this week-end to see your next post, and i must admit it: the more you show us what the Olympus E-5 can do, the more i am convinced to own mine in the near future. Thank you for your (art-)work!

Hey Eric,Indeed, E-5 is quite superior. I just cannot wait to see what so many other great Olympus photographers will do with it. I think it will be available in Japan on 29th October this month. Should be out worldwide in November.

Hi Greg,So sorry to keep you waiting, because I work on week days and am only free on weekends. Thanks so much for your compliments. I have always loved wide angle lenses, the wider the better !!Olympus has probably the best lenses out there (yes arguable), E-5 just brings the superiority of the lenses to another different level altogether.

Every new installment of your E-5 outings is like a cool drink to a man coming out of the desert.

BTW... yesterday my wife and I spent a goodly amount of time elbowing our way up to the Oly reps at the Toronto photography show. Finally holding the camera was a pleasure...it felt.....right. Unfortunately, the string attached to the unit wasn't long enough for me to take it for much of a spin. So in the meantime, your entries here are a thrill for us and I'm sure, for many many others.

Hey Paul,So nice to hear from you again. Glad that you like the photos I have taken this time. It is also great to see that you have had your hands on with the Olympus E-5 !! Why not try ask for special permission to take the camera for a longer spin? Tell Olympus that you are a long time user, I am sure they will not decline. Thanks again for your encouraging words. Do come back again for a few more coming entries.

What can I say, Olympus Malaysia should be thankful for lending their E5 to the right person. After seeing your photos, I think I need to clear some space in my cupboard for a new camera. Great work Robin, maybe I need a free tutorial from you too one of these days ;).

Hi rahman,Thanks so, so much for your kind words. I really appreciate them. By the way, are you currently based in Kuala Lumpur? If you are, it would be great to organize some photo shooting, so we can learn and share with each other.

I really like what I am seeing. Olympus Malaysia should be thankful for loaning their E5 to you. Aiya, now I have to find some cash and space in my cupboard. I definitely will post some questions in future and hopefully you'd give me some free tutorials. Great work Robin and thank you for your time.

Hi rahman,I have replied to your previous comment. If you have any questions, please feel free to post it here, or email me personally at hamish7ian@gmail.comI will be glad to help however I can. We all share and learn from each other. Cheers.

Hi, thanks for your replies. Sorry for the 'double postings'. When I posted the first comment, it didn't seem to upload properly and I got an error message. So I repost with almost similar sentences. My bad (was using 3G). Ya, I live in Kajang (everage 10 days in a month). The rest of the month overseas. I will send you an email soon.

I went to "A Formosa" early this year when I went to Malaysia for a family visit. I got some nice shots with my 7-14 - different from your angles. But seeing yours, I have new ideas to try. That fish eye, nice ideas too

Your street shots are simply amazing - man, you have got better and better in street shots now and they show an empathy and communication with the subjects. Feeling that connect is the hardest thing and once you achieve it, your photos show it.

The E-5, I think it is the sharpest Olympus I have ever seen and I am sure that our lenses have so much stored in sharpness that our current models can't show the sharpness.

Hey Anandasim,A Famosa, and the surrounding areas are perfect for many photography genres, such as street, buildigs, etc etc.

I have been doing street shooting on almost every weekends now, hence it took me a long time, and lots and lots of practice to break through the "disconnection" between the photographer and the subjects. It was not easy.

I do agree, E-5 seriously brings out the sharpness in the lenses. My current E-520 just could not capture that much details.

I am presently surprised to see you doing another test with the E5. Without a doubt you have taken the most beautiful and interesting pictures with the E5 compared to any other blog or professional review to date.

Hey Robin, it's great to see Olympus have loaned you the E-5 for a further period and I appreciate your latest fantastic pictures and commentary. I'm not going to burden you with any requests or suggestions, just keep doing what you're doing!

Hi John,Thank so much for understanding !! There will be more entries and photos coming soon. Cheers

hey Bartosz,Since this is a review of a new camera, I am not allowed to process or modify the photograph, hence I left the original colours in tact. It is not fair for me to process it to my liking, and in the end the others thought the E-5 can produce the colour rendition that is not true. Thanks for notifying !! I am going over to your flicker now.

Hi great shots ,I always had Pentax ,now thought I go Nikon or Canon but Olympus E5 sounds great. But I am confused of sensor types.I love travel ,especially in deserts and now have baby ,how will I go with E5 and what lenses ? many thanks ,I shared your photos with my friends,inspiring!!!

Hi Anonymous,I think E-5 and Olympus weather sealed lenses are perfect for deserts !! They are dustproof, hence no worries on the sand infiltrating lenses or cameras. Thanks for the sharing with your friends. Do come back, as I always share my photography works here.

Robin, your emphasis on dynamic range performance was very informative, and your pictures were awesome, but could you confirm for us please that Shadow Adjustment Technology, a.k.a. Gradation, was not in use and that all the shots were made with Gradation set to 'Normal' (off)?

Hi !Just looked through all your great E5 photos, and I'm consdering buying one myselef :-). Had the E3 some time ago ansd miss the Olympus feeling and "soul". Started way back with my vrey beloved Olympus Om-1 in the 70-ties.One question regarding all the art filters in the E5 : Can they be added AFTER the picture has been taken, (like the Nikon D7000 and others), or are you forced to choose a certain filter effect before pushing the release button ?Please let me know !With the very best regards, Stein ( living in Norway).